That Loving Feeling
by Miskit
Summary: Iceman has been left with the job of helping Maverick pull through after Goose's death. Preslash. Iceman/Maverick tones.


Disclaimer: I don't know these characters or anything Top Gun related. I just borrowed them for a bit.

**Warning**: Nothing much - just some random, makes no sense at all semi-sweetness. Oh and cussing... there's a bit of that.

I didn't have anything really in mind much when I wrote this. It just sort of happened... I gonna call it a one-shot for now, that can always change depending on how people take it. Hope it isn't too bad... it was pretty late when I wrote it, or... well, earlier I guess.

I apologize for any and all spelling/grammatical errors that may have slipped my proof read(s).

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'That Loving Feeling'

The resistance was there, not that he had thought Maverick would just give in without some kind of fight. If he had just let go and let things be Tom's way... well, Ice figured he'd have been more worried about that then any fight the shorter man could put out. Still, even that jerking movement Maverick made, pulling himself back from the blond and trying to put a distance between them Ice wouldn't let get too big, it didn't stop Tom from pushing his luck and stepping his way back into Maverick's space.

Would have been odd for him to let Maverick have his way anyway. 'Cause what good was living with Maverick like this if he couldn't push his buttons? Ice thrived off it, pissing Mitchell off just the right amount, meeting him push for shove and butting heads over things that sometimes didn't matter and sometimes did. This time, it mattered. It mattered a whole hell of a lot, especially now with that panic just visible at the farthest edges of Maverick's eyes.

It was important to get Maverick to relax. Not doing so meant dealing with another 'attack', as Ice had come to call the slips Maverick's sanity went through these days. Getting rid of the tension flaring at the brunet's jaw line was essential in avoiding another one of those damn 'mind flips' of his, meant preventing Maverick from hurting himself again. Ice didn't think he himself could deal with another of those... he didn't even like to think about it anymore. Never had. Suicide and shit like that, it just wasn't his thing and knowing he was perhaps the only thing standing in Maverick's way from slicing at his wrists and choking down pills weighed down really heavy on him sometimes. But he'd gotten good at reading the signs Maverick's body gave off, subtle glitches in his behavior or appearance that told Ice just what was running through that fool head and how severe in 'level' it was.

Maverick wasn't overcome with it yet at the moment, giving Ice enough time to either squash those urges to punish himself for his 'Mother Goose's' death down or cast them aside completely for the time being. He had to get the man calmed down first though.

"You do much dancing, Maverick?" Tom asked the shorter man, eyeing him critically, letting the other take that step back from him that he wanted so bad. For now.

"What?" The dark brow furrowed, knotting up over blue eyes. Maverick looked at the blond, expression showing just how out of place the question had been, how confused it had left him.

"Dancing? You like to dance?"

Maverick's eyes flicked around the room, sweeping his surroundings like he was making sure nothing was fixing to jump out and attack him. Looking around like a fighter piolet searching out the enemy. "...When the occasion calls for it." The frown of Maverick's lips was amusing, his words slow coming from his mouth and careful.

"I think the occasion calls for it."

"For what?"

"Dancing."

Maverick was staring at him hard now, face twisted and brows low over his eyes as he looked at Ice like the blond had just sprouted another two heads from his shoulders. Made Ice want to smirk.

"Now?"

"Yeah."

"Right now?"

"Sure." Ice took a step towards the smaller man, that smirk tugging at his lips again when Maverick met his approach with a retreat.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Maverick almost snapped, and Ice watched as something other then panic sparked in his blue eyes. "You want to dance?"

"Yeah. You wanna?"

"No."

"Yeah you do."

"No, Ice, I don't."

Tom ignored him, reaching out and grabbing a hold of Pete's forearm, not surprised when the man jerked back. He held firm though, just tugging him towards him in response, other hand latching onto Maverick's other arm - just above the elbow.

"Hey! Let me go!"

Ice hushed him, shushing him like a parent trying to calm a scared child. Like trying to calm a spooked horse. And Tom could feel Pete's pulse jacking up from the hold he had on his arm, worried of a minute that he was causing more distress then comfort. A split second later and Maverick's struggle against his grip faltered - Ice knew better then to think he had won. Maverick might have stopped bucking back like an angry bull, but he was as tense and unyielding as stone under Ice's hands and the blond knew the fight was still coiling under the brunet's skin, waiting to be given a reason to rear it's head again.

Ice shuffled to the right, slow and easy, guiding Maverick along with him. He was careful to keep the brunet at arm's length, knowing any closer right now was out of the question. He watched the other's face, Maverick never lifting his eyes from their focal point on Ice's right arm, just below his broad shoulder. He shuffled them around a while, keeping his hold on Maverick's arms, his thumb brushing against the top of the other's forearm once or twice as he slowly worked the two of them around in a circle.

"Not so bad, huh?" Ice asked once it looked safe enough for him to speak again.

"This is stupid."

Ice shrugged, seeing how Maverick would think so. He figured it looked pretty stupid from the outside too, but he didn't stop.

"This is really stupid." Maverick pressed, jaw tensing again as he lifted his gaze only to cast it out away from the two of them.

"How come?"

"This isn't dancing, your dragging me around the room in a goddamn circle!" The shorter man scowled at the carpet on the floors, features not so edged with tension anymore. He just looked annoyed now - was still an improvement from Ice's point of view. "There isn't even music. Who the hell dances without music?"

"You want music?"

"No!" Maverick did snap at him this time, jerking his arms again. "I said I didn't want to do this at all! Would you just let me go already?"

"I can give you some music..."

"For fuck's sake! Listen to me, dammit! I don't want any music and I don't want to dance! Get the hell off me, Ice!"

The blond smirked, sadistic side of him enjoying the way Maverick was getting riled up. He always had liked the way the other man's voice hitched up an octave when he got real angry... he didn't figure that was _too _weird. Or maybe it was, but he wasn't about to let his mind go there, not right now at least.

Ice tilted himself into Maverick, tugging him closer to him then they had been before, enough so that he almost held the brunet's arms against his sides. He tucked his face down, mouth near the other man's ear, his smirk widening when Maverick tried to jerk his head back and around, away from the other's face and the breath he breathed out against the shell of his ear when he spoke.

"I think I got a song you might like." He practically felt Maverick swallow down pridefully on his nerves.

"I doubt that."

"No, really... I hear you like it." Ice swallowed himself, a breath of air working down into him, preparing to most likely embarrass the hell out of himself with this attempt. "_You've lost that loving feeling_..."

Maverick snorted, the sound loud against the way Ice had nearly whispered the first few words. The sound made the blond grin though, not bothering to lean back enough to watch Maverick roll his eyes like he figured he was doing.

"_Oh, that loving feeling. You've lost that loving feeling; now it's gone, gone, gone,"_ Maverick chuckled and shook his head as Ice finished the verse off with that deep 'whoa-oh-oh-oh' the brunet knew all too well.

"You're a fuckin' idiot..."

"You laughed."

"Yeah, 'cause you're an idiot."

"Whatever, you still laughed."

Silence.

"What? That's it?" Maverick pulled his head back to look at Ice, brow furrowed again.

"That's all I know." Ice admitted; he'd never been all that great with remembering lyrics to songs, especially if he wasn't hearing the song along with it. He figured it was amazing enough that he had remembered as much of it as he had.

"That's all you know? Are you serious?" Maverick scoffed when Ice nodded, "Jesus you're hopeless..." Ice was more then a little surprised when Maverick tucked his head back down, chin jutting into the blond's shoulder where he rested it.

They shuffled slowly in that same circle as they had before, closer together now with Maverick's chin resting ideally on Ice's shoulder. They were silent, just moving around, both wrapped in individual thoughts. It almost caught Ice off guard enough to startle him when Maverick picked up with the song where he had left off.

"_Now there's no tenderness in your eyes when I reach for you. And girl, you're starting to criticize little things I do. It makes me just feel like crying, baby, 'cause baby, something beautiful's dying..._"

They both relaxed after Maverick started mumbling the rest of the lyrics for them, chin keeping where it was on Ice's shoulder and arms going lax in his grip. Ice himself had at one point or another leaned his head against Maverick's, their temples pressing together - his eyes had even shut and he was sure Maverick's were closed as well.

"_You've lost that loving feeling. Oh, that loving feeling. Bring back that loving feeling; now it's gone, gone, gone, and I can't go on..."_

A lazy smirk pulled at Ice's lips as Maverick mumbled lyrics, both of them still shuffling about in that slow dance of theirs; he'd won this round. Maverick sure felt relaxed against him now.

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REVIEW PLEASE! Comments and constructive criticism welcomed.

I wrote this one out to be a one-shot... but I might continue find a way to continue it or something if people like it well enough. Who knows...?


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